In current residential and commercial buildings, recessed lighting assemblies or fixtures are typically installed in a space between the ceiling joists or beams and above an existing ceiling substrate, i.e., drywall, plaster, wood, planking, etc. Fiberglass, cellulose, or other thermal insulation material is also typically installed between the ceiling joists so as to inhibit a flow of heat from living spaces through the ceiling to the attic space. If the thermal insulation material is permitted to encroach upon the recessed light fixture, there is a potential for heat entrapment and excessive heat build up within the recessed lighting fixture which could result in damage to the wiring or to the surrounding combustible materials used in the building construction.
In order to avoid heat entrapment and excessive heat build up, thermal insulation is typically not installed in proximity of enclosures, housing or cans, of the recessed fixtures, unless the recessed fixture is approved for use in an insulation environment in accordance with requirements set forth by a compliance agency, such as the by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). For example, the UL1598 standard provides operating requirements for recessed lighting fixtures to be labeled as insulation capable (“IC”) or non-insulation capable (commonly referred to as either “non-IC” or “TC”).
The UL 1598 standard specifies that an IC labeled fixture may be in contact with the surrounding insulation or be within three inches from the surrounding insulation, but can not operate if an external surface temperature exceeds 90° Celsius (C.). Hence, when installed in an insulation environment, the IC labeled fixture typically includes a thermal protector device that shuts off or cycles power when the corresponding surface temperature exceeds 90° C.
Conversely, the UL 1598 standard specifies that non-IC labeled fixture be positioned at least three inches from the surrounding insulation, and can not operate if the external surface temperature of the fixture exceeds 150° Celsius (C.). Accordingly, the conventional non-IC labeled fixture includes a thermal protector device that shuts off or cycle power to the fixture when the fixture external surface temperature exceeds 150° C.
In order to satisfy or meet these required UL 1598 standards, most lighting manufacturers have typically produced two kinds of recessed lighting fixtures for installation in IC or non-IC environments, respectively. As such, fixture retailers need to stock both kinds of recessed fixtures to meet the demands of installers or users. However, these dual manufacturing and stocking situations can lead to a substantial amount of wasted materials and expenses.
Other lighting manufacturers have produced universal housings for lighting fixtures which may be installed and operated in both IC and non-IC environments. These universal housings were provided with indicia enabling installers or users to select appropriate trim and lamp wattage for use in IC and non-IC environments. However, after installation in the ceiling, end users may be unable to readily determine whether the housing fixtures are installed in IC or non-IC environments as proper installation labels may be missing or no longer visible to the users.
Therefore, a need exists for a recessed lighting assembly that overcomes the problems noted above and others previously experienced for operating in both IC and non-IC environments. These and other needs will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the present specification.